Don’t Bow
Remember that time Nebuchadnezzar built a giant statue and demanded everyone worship it or else be thrown into a fiery furnace? Crazy times. Then the three Hebrew boys refused to bow because they honored God above all else, and sure enough, Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the furnace.
It had to be hard to stand when everyone else was bowing. Have you ever had a moment when everyone else was doing something so you thought you should do it too? Maybe you’re in an audience when they introduce someone, and they get a standing ovation, but you have no idea who they are, but you stand up anyway because everyone else is. Maybe you’re in a meeting with your boss, and he has an idea that you know is not very good, but everyone goes along with it, and you go along with it because you don’t want to be the odd man out or get in trouble for disagreeing with the boss. It’s hard in these moments to be the odd man out, especially if there are possible consequences. Sometimes it seems easier to just go along so everything can stay copacetic. Maybe that’s not a big deal sometimes with little things like giving someone a standing ovation who you don’t even know, but when it comes to things that greatly affect our lives and the world we live in it is a much bigger deal. Not bowing can have serious consequences, but so can bowing.
The three Hebrew children did not bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue because their hope was in God and God alone. God was first and everything else was second. Even their own safety. They were able to stand even when their lives were being threatened. Why? Because their hope was in God.
Today anytime the world wants us as believers to agree and accept their sins i.e. abortion, lgbtq+ movement they are wanting us to bow before the statues they are building. The world is wanting us to bow to its statues, and in some cases threatens us if we don’t bow. To worship what it worships. To value what it values. Accept and include what it accepts. The pressure to bow to the values and gods of this world will only get stronger. As the pressure mounts and more and more people bow, the more singled out the ones who are not bowing will be. The only way we will be able to stay standing and not bow to the statues of this world is if our Hope is in Jesus.
When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace and saw a fourth man he saw hope personified in Jesus. Jesus was with the Hebrew children in the fire. Our true hope is Jesus. And no matter how bad this world gets he will always be with us in the fire. He is the only true hope. The only way we can remain standing, and not bow is if our hope is in Him.
